One Of Those Summer Days
by Monika11
Summary: Starsky and Hutch have fun on the beach.


This story is dedicated to Avoca.

There was a charity auction for those in need in the Gulf Coast area.

Avoca won my story at the auction.

Thank you, my friend.

Monika

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**One Of T****hose Summer Days**

Starsky's nose tickled and he felt the  
warmth of a  
sunray that had found its way through the curtains.  
He wasn't ready to face a new morning, he  
needed some more sleep and less sunshine. He turned  
round in his bed - and felt a stinging pain when his  
nose bumped against something.

"Ouch"! he cried and heard "Shit!" He blinked  
and looked straight into the sleepy eyes of his  
partner who was lying next to him and who had moved  
his hands to his nose to see if all was still in  
place.

"Hutch, what the heck are you doing here?"  
Starsky tried to concentrate, feeling a bad  
headache coming on.

"Well," Hutch croaked, " I only remember that I had  
to carry you upstairs last night. Probably the last  
Tequila was too much for you." Starsky rubbed his  
aching head.  
Very slowly the images from last night came back.  
They had been celebrating Huggy's 5th anniversary  
of "The Pits".

Starsky looked down at his tired partner and he  
had to chuckle . "Okay, big boy, your condition  
wasn't so good either. Or wasn't it you who wanted  
to try a table dance at Huggy's and almost fell off  
the table? If I hadn't been there to catch you…!"

Hutch frowned but then he relaxed and, rubbing his cheekon Starsky's shoulder he mumbled  
" Let me sleep a little  
longer… oh God, my nose…" He was asleep again.

Starsky lay down on his back. Thinking of the last  
night he had to admit that they had drunk - well,  
more than enough. Nevertheless, he and Hutch  
took care of each other. One of them was always able  
to help the other. How often had they been in  
situations when they had watched each other's back?

Starsky still shuddered when he remembered the  
shooting in the Italian restaurant. He had felt so  
helpless, and when he heard the shots he thought  
Hutch had been hit, too. Fortunately all went well.  
When Starsky had been released from hospital Hutch  
stayed with his friend during his recovery. Slumped  
on Starsky's old couch Hutch had simply wanted to  
be near his friend, and then there were the times when Starsky  
had woken them both, thrashing around because of a  
nightmare. Hutch had held him until he felt safe  
again.

They had become like brothers.

Now Starsky affectionately tousled his friend's  
hair and closed his eyes. If Dobey could see them…  
Dobey? My God, Dobey! Hadn't they promised to look  
after Rosie this Saturday? Harold and Edith  
planned to visit Cal's new college in San Diego.  
And Rosie, who adored her Uncle Ken and Uncle  
Dave, had convinced them all, that it would be much  
better for her to stay at home and do something  
fun.

Starsky sat up. This abrupt movement made him  
feel sick and he hurried to the bathroom.

"Hutch! It's your turn!" Starsky emerged from the  
shower, feeling better already. Still wet, he went  
to his closet and grabbed a new towel. Some  
waterdrops fell on Hutch and this made him stir.

"Huh?" he tried to say something intelligent. "We  
aren't in a hurry, are we?"

"Sure we are! Think of Rosie, we promised to go to  
the beach with her." Starsky answered and put on  
his cut off jeans and his red shirt.

"Yeah, yeah," Hutch mumbled, got out of the bed  
and shuffled to the bathroom. "Should you miss me  
after an hour I have fallen asleep in the shower.  
Oops, was that a rhyme?"

Starsky breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the  
shower. He started to prepare a light breakfast in  
the kitchen, not forgetting to set out aspirins with  
the orange juice.

One hour later the two detectives were on their way  
to the Dobeys. Starsky looked sportsmanlike in  
his cut off jeans, the opposite to Hutch. He felt  
quite uncomfortable in Starsky's white shorts.  
Somehow they were a little tight, but if he didn't  
move too much, there wouldn't be a problem. Maybe  
they could go to the café and get icecream….

"Uncle Ken! Uncle Hutch" They had just parked the  
Torino when the frontdoor flew open and a little  
girl ran toward them. Starsky caught her in his  
arms. "Hey, princess, how are you? You already  
waiting for us?"

"Uncle Ken, are you playing hide and seek with me?"  
Her enthusiasm caught Hutch flat- footed.

"What about saying hello first?" he tried to calm  
her. Damn, his headache should be gone by now.  
He got a hug from her and edged her carefully in  
the direction of the house.

Edith and Harold Dobey were ready to leave and after  
a few instructions for her daughter (Don't get on  
Ken and David's nerves and act like a little lady!)  
their car disappeared round the next corner.

"Who's first to my car?" Starsky shouted, already  
rushing forward. Rosie was just behind him,  
giggling. Halfway Starsky pretended to have a  
sprained ancle so Rosie could overtake him. Hutch  
didn't need to pretend anything to be the slowest  
of the three. This was not going to be his day.

Driving to the beach Starsky was humming a song -  
it was by Jim Croce - Hutch assumed. He put on his  
sun glasses and tried to listen to Rosie's report  
about the best ice-cream on the beach.

Hutch's thoughts were drifting. He was remembering  
that he had met his ex-wife, Van, in an Italian  
restaurant in Duluth, Minnesota, and he had invited  
her to an icecream . Though he had pushed the sundae  
by accident and most of the icecream dropped on  
her expensive trousers, she had only laughed. He  
had fallen in love with her then and thought it was mutual. Too late he noticed that she  
only wanted him because of his wealthy family. When he decided  
to become a cop instead of a doctor all hell broke  
loose. In those bad times it was Starsky who stood  
by his side , who helped him to find the right  
solution. It ended with the divorce last year. And  
it had started with an icecream…

"Buddy?" Starsky's voice, full of concern,  
startled him out of his reverie.  
"How are you feeling? Look, we're at the  
beach and over there is the café. We can have an  
icecream, what do you think?"

Hutch felt Starsky's hand on his neck and he nodded. From behind,  
Rosie pressed her head against Hutch's hair and she  
whispered: "Uncle Ken, you are the bestest uncle I  
have! Can I have the banana split?"

That moment Hutch got rid of all depressing  
thoughts. He started to laugh and decided to  
enjoy the day to the full extent.  
"What do I hear? A big ice-cream? Okay if you  
share it with me!" And he got out of the car,  
helped her out and scooped her into his arms. Starsky  
stood there, flat-footed by the sudden change  
of Hutch's behaviour.

He smiled and felt a warmth inside. It didn't make  
any difference to him which mood Hutch was in. He  
loved that guy…

Starsky followed his friends and they found a nice  
place in the shade. The beach was getting more  
crowded now and there was a lot to see. Hutch  
enjoyed his dark coffee and he let Rosie feed him  
with spoonfuls of the delicious icecream.

Starsky had forgotten about his earlier nausea; he ordered  
a piece of appletart with whipped cream. Done with  
that he felt ready for a spaghetti ice. He ignored  
Hutch's disgusted glance. Life was beautiful again.  
Suddenly a ball flew in their direction. Hutch  
caught it and saw a little boy looking for it.

"Come here, I got it", Hutch winked and the little boy  
came up to them slowly. "Here you are," Hutch said and  
when the boy took the ball he looked shyly at Rosie  
and asked: " Do you like playing with me? My older  
brother only wants to stay with his friends…"

Rosie blushed and looked at Hutch.

"Well, why not, if you want to," he said putting his arm protectively  
around her shoulders. "If your Uncle David finishes  
his meal in the next half hour we can accompany you!"

Some minutes later the two men were sitting on the  
blanket Starsky had fetched from the Torino. In front  
of them Rosie was playing with her new friend.

Hutch pulled off his shirt and enjoyed the sun.

"You'll get sunburn," noticed Starsky after a while  
but Hutch only said: "Forgot the sunlotion…"

Starsky who didn't have these problems because of his tanned  
skin, looked around and clicked his fingers. "Just a  
moment," and Hutch kept his eyes shut listening to the  
laughter of the kids. Suddenly something cold dropped  
on his nose, startling him. A smiling Starsky  
said. "Help yourself." He looked over to the bunch of  
girls who were waving now. A little embarrassed Hutch  
smiled, too, and put the lotion on his legs, arms and  
chest. Then Starsky took the lotion and started to rub  
it on Hutch's back. "Leave it, Starsk" Hutch objected.  
He got up and said:" I'll bring it back, okay?"

Starsky watched his friend as he talked to the girls  
and laughed with them. Good ol' Hutch, Starsky  
thought, always up to flirt with the ladies. It seemed  
that they were debating about something. Finally two  
of the girls got up to accompany Hutch back to their  
spot.

"Get up, old man," Hutch was clasping his hands in  
anticipation. "Wanna play beach volleyball? Me and  
Tina against you and .. what's your name? Aha, this is  
Laura, okay, buddy?"

Quickly Starsky rose and started with some impressive stretching . "Hi, Laura, I'm  
Dave. I already feel very sorry for our rivals. You're  
a lucky lady, playing with the best beach volleyball  
player of this beach and .." his hand pointed to the  
north..

"Starsk," Hutch interrupted, " what about Rosie and  
her new friend? They can join us, what do you think?"

"Sure, of course," Starsky agreed concentrating on the  
little girl again.

Soon they had organized a volleyball , the field was  
awaiting them and Rosie shouted:"Ready steady – go!"  
Starsky had picked her in his team - they could start!

Starsky did some spectacular twists and leaps to get  
the ball over the net.

"Me too," Rosie begged, and the  
next time Starsky lifted her up in his arms and she  
proudly threw the ball over the net. Hutch was  
perfectly capable of getting it, but didn't. Rosie  
cheered:" One more point for us!"

Of course Starsky bumped into Laura several times,  
when they both wanted to play the ball and he enjoyed  
the contact. By contrast, Hutch played more carefully.  
He let the little boy handle the ball and showed him  
how to bring it over the net. He smiled at Tina and  
she didn't kill the joy. By accident they touched each  
other and their smiles deepened.

With a last wonderful pirouette Starsky managed to  
bring the ball over the net, unreachable for the other  
team.

"We are the champions, aren't we?" Rosie shouted.

Starsky and Laura agreed, clasping their hands and  
giving each other a hug.

"Well, but we weren't too bad either," pointed Hutch  
out, his hands on Tina's shoulders, the little boy  
walking behind them. They joined the other group to  
congratulate them. Rosie reached her arms out to give  
Hutch a hug and all the others followed. The small boy  
felt awkward; he didn't belong to that "family". Only  
when Rosie held hands with him did he look contented.

"Let's have a break," Starsky proposed, wiping the  
sweat from his forehead. He sprawled on the blanket  
and Laura joined him. Tina brought her towel for Hutch  
and herself and soon they were chatting and laughing.  
Even Rosie and Pete, her new friend, were busy making  
a sandcastle.

Hutch felt more relaxed now knowing that his tight  
shorts had stood the test so far. It was late  
afternoon already and they would take Rosie home soon.

He glanced at Tina and hoped for a promising evening.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Rosie reached out her hands and ran  
toward her parents who stood on the parking lot near  
the beach.

"Wow! They're back early," Starsky noticed, waving to  
his superior and his wife that they should join them.  
"We have to go, I think," said Tina and started to get  
up, as did Laura. It seemed that they didn't want to  
intrude further, but both men said in unison:" No,  
please stay."

There was a big Hallo when Edith and Dobey met the  
group. There had been a road construction on their way  
to San Diego that held all the traffic up. They had  
been forced to return otherwise it would have been too  
late for Rosie.

"No, it isn't late, I'm having a lot of fun with Uncle  
Dave and Uncle Ken," said Rosie very convincingly.  
"They are the bestest volleyball players all over the  
world."

"I gotta see this," Dobey smirked. If he ever had  
expected what followed next…he would have held his  
tongue.

"Let's all play volleyball!" Rosie enthusiastically  
cried and Starsky joked:

"Starsky and Hutch against the rest of the world…"

"Yes! Mommy and Daddy, let's play against Ken and  
Dave, pleeease!" Rosie was very excited now.

"Honey, we have to go home," Edith interfered, but  
Rosie didn't give up so easily. She went to Hutch, her  
eyes begging for a little more fun. He put her on his  
lap and after locking glances with Starsky he said:

"Sounds good to me – if your Mom and Dad play along  
with us. Hey Cap'n, any objections?"

Before Dobey could react Starsky got up, pulling Tina  
and Laura with him.

"Tina and Laura will support you, okay? And Pete here  
is a real help for you," Starsky smiled.

"Forget it, you two!" Dobey growled , " I am not  
dressed for the beach. On the other hand I was pretty good  
when I was young , you wouldn't believe it…" His voice  
trailed off,as if he were remembering the good old  
times.

"Okay, then let's start, and Edith, don't worry, you  
have such good players on your side, look at this  
little lady, " and Hutch shoved Rosie onto the other  
team. Edith looked self-conscious, but she didn't want  
to be a spoil sport. What exactly was it about  
volleyball, she asked herself as the ball flew towards  
her and she caught it.

"Honey, this isn't handball, let me show you…," and  
Dobey showed his wife very patiently how to handle the  
volleyball.

On the other side of the net the two detectives  
exchanged views. "We should give them a little  
showdown," Starsky proposed, shuffling the sand  
between his toes.

"Okay, but don't get too exaggerated, " Hutch couldn't  
go on, he had to fend off the next ball. "Well done,  
Cap," he hissed. Starsky was already diving for the  
next throw. The girls applauded and even Dobey spilt  
some praise.

Hutch had the feeling that he had to show something  
extraordinary, too. He got the ball from Starsky,  
moved it over the net so that it was very hard for  
Tina to get. He smiled, confident of victory, but Tina  
knew how to play the ball. When the next ball came  
over the net, Starsky and Hutch weren't sure who was  
supposed to play, so both went for it. They bumped,  
fell into the sand and had to untangle themselves, all  
the while hearing the laughter of the other team.

Seeking revenge Hutch decided to do something special  
to show them all what kind of player he was.

Now Dobey had the ball. Hutch could see the smile on  
Dobey's face. It showed him that Dobey wasn't  
convinced of Hutch's abilities. The ball came over the  
net. Hutch leaped high and twisted his body, trying to  
do the pirouette Starsky had done earlier.

The ball was somewhere else and when he fell in the  
sand he heard a ripping noise. "Oh my God, not that!  
My shorts!" he thought. He lay in the sand till a  
concerned Starsky hovered over him.

"What's up, buddy? Don't worry, in figure skating they woulda given you a  
6.0 I'm sure."

"I can't get up, Starsk," Hutch mumbled. He tried to  
feel with one hand where the tear was, but at that  
moment the strong arms of his partner encircled him to  
pull him up.

"No, don't do it! My shorts, hm… your shorts are torn,  
you know…" Hutch felt like a dead weight in Starsky's  
arms now and Starsky let him sink back again.

"Hey! Any damage over there, or are you already giving  
up?" They heard Dobey shouting and Starsky reassured  
them: "No, it's all okay."

"Come on, buddy, ever heard of covering your back?  
Let's try it," Starsky calmed him and this time Hutch  
gave in and raised himself up carefully.

Awkwardly Hutch trudged through the sand , Starsky  
always a step behind him.

"Whose turn is it ?" Starsky shouted and Hutch clasped his hands pretending  
to feel fine.

"What kind of formation are you practising there, if I  
may ask," Dobey looked at his detectives standing back  
to back and the girls started giggling.

"Huh…nothing special, it's only to irritate the  
enemy," was Starsky's lame explanation. But it helped.  
They got more points because the other team had to  
laugh so hard that they lost the ball several times.

Hutch got a little more confident after a time. Maybe  
it wasn't too bad with the torn shorts. And he  
remembered that he had put on white briefs Starsky had  
given him that morning, so the tear in his shorts  
probably wasn't so obvious.

Finally the game was over and Dobey looked impatiently  
at the snack bar next to the parking lot. "Well, not  
too bad, Starsky and Hutchinson. I think I could do  
with a little snack."

Tina and Laura said their goodbyes to the detectives after exchanging phone  
numbers.

When they were leaving they looked back at the group -  
and couldn't believe it. Starsky's hand was on his  
partner's butt as they were walking to the snack bar!

In a thoughtful mood, the girls left the beach…

"Starsk, what the hell are you doing? Let go of my  
ass!" Hutch again felt uncomfortable.

"Your wish is my command," answered Starsky in a low voice, "but I  
must tell you that everyone can read what it says on  
the briefs, I lent you… Monday… and I don't want  
people to get upset, because you know, today is  
Saturday…!"

***

Early in the next morning…

Hutch was soundly asleep when there was suddenly a  
blow against his nose.

"Starsk, not again!" he almost yelled. Then he felt  
something soft against his cheek and someone mumbled:

"Starsk? -- I'm so sorry, hon, but tell me, is there  
something I gotta know about Starsky and you?"

Hutch opened his eyes, and dark brown eyes were  
looking at him.

"Tina!" he said and, stroking her long brown hair, he repeated the question: "You want to  
know if you gotta know something about Starsky and me?  
Oh yes, a lot! But nothing you should worry about!"

And with these words he pulled her down. She smiled  
and savored the closeness. It was gonna be a beautiful  
summer day!

The end


End file.
